I usually can't get motivated enough to ride the day after a race but it's only because of being lazy. A short super easy spin ride the day after a race really helps me with recovery and gets me ready for a tuesday key workout.

Where I live we race on Saturdays, so Sunday I usually do a big volume Z2 day (2-3 hours, rarely 4), or sit in on a long road group ride. I keep Sunday short on a rest week, and always take Monday off.

Ride, yes. How long and the intensity depends on how long the race was. Typical sub 2 hour XC race I will do a long Z2 ride. If the race was an enduro 5-8 hour, 100 miler or the like, I will spin easy for an hour.

This movement I have found helps tremendously! After the longer races I will take the day off 2 days after the race. I find that I feel fairly close to normal the third day after the race and resume my normal training plan at that point.

Ever since racing DH in college, I've taken my old coach's advice, and jog a mile or two directly after races and really hard training rides. I've found that keeps me from getting sore. Also, I have a rolling pin that I use to work over my quads at night--really--and get my girl to do my hams; that gets rid of the lactic acid, supposedly.

Also... I drink a pineapple/blueberry/cherry juice smoothie (cheap frozen fruit from Trader Joes) when I get home; it's kinda a reward, and a doctor friend said it could help muscle recovery...any reason is a good one to drink that concoction.

But, to answer your question, I definitely suggest riding on the day after. I usually focus on form then, building muscle memory so I can more properly take stuff I might struggle with, like technical climbs or switchbacks.

Also... I drink a pineapple/blueberry/cherry juice smoothie (cheap frozen fruit from Trader Joes) when I get home; it's kinda a reward, and a doctor friend said it could help muscle recovery...any reason is a good one to drink that concoction.

You doctor is right. But try to get that smoothie or high glycemic index carbohydrate snack immediately post exercise. Thats when your body needs it most